38 Bridges in Herkimer and Oneida Counties Deemed in Poor Condition by New York State

One of the biggest issues plaguing our nation as a whole is an aging and deteriorating infrastructure. That includes roads, tunnels and bridges. Here in New York State there are several locally owned bridges that have recently been deemed in poor condition by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office in a recent report.

According to the Comptroller's report local governments own just over half of all bridges in the state. 8,891 out of 17,573 to be exact. Of those 8,891 bridges, approximately 889 of them have been rated in "poor condition." That is 10 percent of locally owned bridges. More startling are the numbers in Oneida and Herkimer Counties.

In Oneida County there are 26 out of 226 locally owned and maintained bridges rated in poor condition. In Herkimer County 12 out of 117 locally owned and maintained bridges are in poor condition. According to the report,

Statewide, 10 percent of all local bridges were rated in poor condition in 2023. However, the share varied by county. For instance, 13 counties had less than 5 percent of local bridges in poor condition, while a handful of counties had more than 20 percent. Schenectady County had the fewest local bridges (21), none of which were in poor condition. Still, having a small number of bridges does not ensure that all are adequately maintained. For example, 9 of the 26 (34.6 percent) local bridges in Seneca County, as well as 8 of the 38 (21.1 percent) local bridges in Putnam County, were rated in poor condition.

One bridge in any county rated in poor condition is too many. With a constant funding battle in the state and municipalities competing for larger infrastructure dollars on the state and federal level, finding the remedy to these issues will be a difficult task. Local leaders are doing all they can to remedy the issues and there is a lot of work to be done.

You can read the full Locally Owned Bridges Report online.